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August 3rd, 2013

Carmelo Anthony hopes newly acquired Knick Andrea Bargnani comes into the season with a new attitude and renewed fire.

Speaking at his basketball camp at Queens College Saturday, Anthony lamented losing key teammates from last season’s 54-28 squad but said getting Bargnani was a “steal.” He’s convinced the Knicks will be better.

“I hate to lose [Steve] Novak and [Marcus] Camby,” he said, “but when you get someone like [Bargnani] in return, it’s kind of a win-win situation.”

The 7-foot forward, the No. 1 overall pick of the Toronto Raptors in 2006, averaged 12.7 points and 3.7 rebounds last season. It was his lowest point total since he averaged 10.2 points per game in 2007-08. “Hopefully, Bargnani will want to come in and prove something, come in with a chip on his shoulder and be ready to rock,” Anthony said.

He also was pleased with the acquisition of veteran forward Metta World Peace. Anthony joked that he still can’t get used to calling him Metta, but he’s happy to be his teammate. “To have him on our team right now brings some more toughness to our team and another defensive presence,” Anthony said.

An MRI taken shortly after the season showed that Anthony had suffered a small tear in his left shoulder. He said the injury affected him in the playoffs.

“I was surprised that I was able to get through it the way that I did,” Anthony said Saturday. “When it happened, I knew something was wrong with it, and I was kind of being a little bit naive and trying to fight it and toughen it out. But to feel the difference now … it’s night and day.”

Thursday’s event was clearly about him, but Washington Wizards point guard John Wall made sure the appropriate attention was given to the family members and friends who helped him earn a five-year contract extension worth roughly $80 million.

Wall wept as he spoke about his mother. He expressed his gratitude to Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, team president Ernie Grunfeld and Coach Randy Wittman because they “believed in me when everybody else didn’t.” And finally, Wall made a huge financial commitment to city that he hopes to call home through at least 2019.

The day after he signed the third-largest contract in franchise history, Wall announced that he would direct $1 million toward local charities, in conjunction with Leonsis’s Monumental Sports and Entertainment Foundation.

Lakers forward Pau Gasol was moved by his recent trip to Dohuk, Iraq, to visit with Syrian refugees.

“Most of the people didn’t know who I was. They didn’t know what I do,” Gasol told The Times on Friday via telephone from Spain. “They saw someone that cared for them who was there to help them. That was there to listen to them, to play with children and be their speaker and be their voice and carry a message for them. It was a great experience. ”

Armed conflict in Syria has caused more than 1.7 million people, many of them children, to flee their homes.

Gasol, an ambassador for UNICEF since 2003, found his visit both challenging and heart-warming.

The Atlanta Hawks have signed forward DeMarre (de-MAR-ay) Carroll, President of Basketball Operations/GM Danny Ferry announced today. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “Carroll agreed to a two-year, $5 million contract on July 5th, the same day the team agreed to a deal with his Jazz teammate Paul Millsap. The delay in signing was for salary cap reasons as the Hawks rebuilt much of their roster this offseason.”

“DeMarre is a great fit for our program,” Ferry said. “He is an unselfish, highly competitive player. His versatility in defending multiple positions will make him a valuable contributor to our basketball team.”

According to HawksBasketBlog, “Carroll is a more than capable offensive player, as shown by his 15.5 PER and 53.5 True Shooting percentage last season. He is most effective attacking the basket on off-ball cuts, running in transition, and scoring after offensive rebounds. In transition, Carroll was excellent last season shooting 64.6% from the field on 65 transition field goal attempts, per Synergy Sports. He will look to become a more proficient spot-up shooter this season, as he shot just 34.7% on 118 spot-up attempts last season. However, being surrounded by other shooters such as Korver, John Jenkins, Lou Williams, and others, Carroll’s spot up shooting will likely not be a prominent spot-up shooter. On offense, Carroll’s role will likely be small and he will be asked to attack the basket and bring pace and energy to the offense. The main focus for Carroll will be on the defensive end where he will look to come in and be a key defender for the Hawks on the wing.”

Carroll, 27, posted career highs last season with the Utah Jazz in nearly every statistical category including points (6.0), rebounds (2.8), assists (0.9), steals (0.9), minutes (16.8) and starts (12). He played in 66 games, scoring 10 or more points 15 times (the Jazz were 11-4 in those games) and playing at least 20 minutes on 27 occasions. The Jazz were 16-11 in those games and his averages jumped to 9.3 points on .514 shooting, including .429 from three-point range, and 4.1 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game. His +/- average of +1.8 led the Jazz.

Before joining the Jazz on Feb. 8, 2012, the four-year veteran spent time with the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets. The 6-foot-8, 204-pound forward attended Missouri and is from Birmingham, Alabama.

“I’m coming home to my NBA family,” Williamson said by phone. “It felt like being recruited, and it felt great. I’m very flattered and was caught off guard. I didn’t expect this. I’ve always wanted to get back into the NBA and coach, but I didn’t think it would happen this soon. I’m still in awe with the opportunity. Of all places to coach … .”

Williamson is the next piece in a sweeping change for the Kings, from new principal owner Vivek Ranadive to general manager Pete D’Alessandro to Malone. Williamson joins Brendan Malone, Dee Brown, Chris Jent and Micah Nori as assistants in their first season with the Kings.

Williamson, a forward who steered Arkansas to the 1994 NCAA championship, played 12 NBA seasons. He started and ended his career in Sacramento, playing for three other teams in between. Known as “Big Nasty,” Williamson averaged 10.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 466 games with the Kings, becoming a fan favorite for his gritty play on the court and generosity off it.

Williamson is the only two-time recipient of the Kings’ Oscar Robertson Triple-Duty Award, bestowed to the player who best exemplifies excellence in and out of the arena. Williamson was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2002 with Detroit, where he won an NBA title in 2004. He returned to Sacramento in 2005 and retired in 2007.